| If you remember learning about ancient civilizations in | | | | so as a society I think it is extremely important to |
| history class, you may remember that wine was | | | | learn how to manage it appropriately, OR how to |
| always a huge part of a civilian's diet. I'm sure that | | | | eliminate completely from your life. |
| much of that was because grapes were plentiful and | | | | 1. Your relationship with alcohol can and will affect |
| without refrigeration etc., the juice from the grapes | | | | your career, your role as a parent, your relationships |
| quickly fermented--resulting in wine (alcohol). | | | | with significant others, your relationships with friends |
| Of course many experts believe that there is a huge | | | | and family. |
| difference in the alcohol content of ancient wine vs. | | | | 2. Your relationship with alcohol can ultimately affect |
| today's alcoholic beverages -- but whatever the case | | | | how you view yourself in the world. If you need |
| may be, alcohol has long been a tradition of ancient | | | | alcohol to deal with life -- your opinion of yourself will |
| and modern cultures. Largely due to the fact that | | | | probably remain very low because you will feel guilty |
| alcohol has the capability of altering one's mood. For | | | | that you use this "crutch" of sorts. |
| most of us in modern times, this means that alcohol | | | | 3. Your relationship with alcohol can cost you big |
| has the power to change our mood or numb us from | | | | successes and big rewards from life. It can rob you |
| our current state of being. A lot of us like that. With | | | | of everything and everyone if your relationship is not |
| the increasing stress and complete insanity of the | | | | a healthy one. |
| world growing year after year, decade after decade, | | | | 4. You can lose the respect of your children, friends |
| it's no wonder that a large part of the population | | | | and family if your relationship with alcohol is bad. How |
| wants to just be numb. | | | | do you respect someone who allows something or |
| Look at how we reacted during the period of | | | | someone else to control them? To dictate what they |
| prohibition in America. Organized crime flourished and | | | | will say or what they will do. |
| people either bought into that illegal system or they | | | | 5. Your relationship with alcohol may be perceived as |
| learned how to make "moonshine" in their own | | | | a disease, or you may have a predisposition to it |
| backyards or basements. In fact, one of my uncles | | | | based on genetics -- but that's not an excuse. You |
| was able to support some of my family's migration | | | | can change your relationship with alcohol and not |
| from the south to the north in the 1930's because he | | | | allow it to dominate your life. It is possible and don't |
| made "moonshine" for an organized crime faction in | | | | let any "expert" tell you different. Why? We were all |
| Philadelphia. Suffice it to say -- we all went a little bit | | | | born with free will. That's what is so great about |
| crazy without our legal liquor. So of course that had | | | | being a human being born in this day and age. In the |
| to stop, and back to legal it became. | | | | midst of all the "noise" of life -- we have FREE WILL. |
| So I said all of that to really give you the backdrop | | | | You can choose everyday - all day -- to have a |
| of how powerful alcohol really is to the history of | | | | healthy relationship with alcohol or NO relationship at |
| America, and really the history of the world. It has | | | | all. It is your choice. |
| always been around, and will continue to be around, | | | | |